SUNDAY January 1
Calendar commentYour Week Ahead:Our calendar makes no adjustment for the movement of the Moon or the Sun. Our clock gets the length of each day wrong by about four minutes. No wonder we're all so out of tune with nature. Once, we celebrated New Year on March 21 (the start of the astrological cycle) and honoured the heavens once more on June 21 when the Sun reached its annual turning point. We also observed the equinox on September 23 and the Winter solstice on December 22. We counted the Lunar cycles too but then, along came the Romans and we lost our wise old ways. So for an astrologer, it's not really new year at all. Try telling that, though, to the rest of the world! In your forecast today, I'm looking at what 2006 has in store for you... and then I've got a long night. I'll be on TV (in the UK) with Jools Holland, on BBC2, around midnight... followed by Heaven and Earth on BBC1, early Sunday morning.

MONDAY January 2
Time slippage email
Dear Jonathan,Yesterday my daughter received a blank text message dated December 4, 2019. The return number gave no answer. Also, I received an e-mail dated November 14, 2006. What's going on?Martha

Dear Martha,It could, I suppose, have been faulty technology but over the new year weekend, we were in the 'Dark of The Moon'. According to the ancients, this brief phase of the month lets us pierce the veil between the present and the future. So you may have had a genuine experience of "time slippage". Do any other readers have a similar tale to tell?

TUESDAY January 3
Lunar Standstill Cycle
Next time you see the Moon, you may notice that it is a little higher in the sky than usual. You may also recall that, last summer, it was exceptionally low. Some nights, it hardly got further than the top of the trees. This Summer, it will be even closer to the horizon. This extreme seasonal contrast only happens once every eighteen and a half years or so. We call it the 'Lunar Standstill' cycle and its culmination is traditionally considered a very magical, powerful time. I shall say much more about this soon.

WEDNESDAY January 4
Time slippage - follow-up email
On Monday, I printed a letter about a mobile phone that was receiving 'messages from the future'. Today, a reader called Julie writes: 'I also had a strange experience at New Year. My nieces, aged ten, 12 and 14 were staying with me and we were laughing about something. I suddenly saw the youngest as a sparkling, mature woman. I sensed the others were adults too, but before I could look, the moment was gone.' Expect more such odd events soon. 2006 is due to pose a profound challenge to our current perception of what's possible.

THURSDAY January 5
New Year Resolution comment
How are you getting on with your new year resolution? Even if you have already fallen off your wagon, try climbing back aboard. New Year's Eves don't normally have much by way of special, mystical power but this one took place during the Dark of The Moon. Promises made at such times tend to have lasting power. The year is still young. Its story is still to be told. If you made a resolution on December 31 or January 1, you may yet find that it keeps on at you... until you keep on at it!

FRIDAY January 6
Stock Market comment
Dear Jonathan,Some astrologers have predicted that 2006 will bring disaster to the stock market. What do you think?SharonDear Sharon,There may well be an economic slowdown later this year. Certain blue chip companies and traditional 'safe bets' could do surprisingly badly. There won't, though, be a classic 'crash' - and recovery from any downturn will happen quickly.

SATURDAY January 7
Mercury, Venus and Sun in CapricornWeekend Forecast:Mercury, Venus and the Sun are all in Capricorn this weekend. That bodes well for all who would like to improve the amount of structure in their lives. If you feel that too much is 'loose and unsettled' or that it's all 'firmly in place' but in the wrong place... here comes a chance to make a set of adjustments that leads to a much more comfortable few months ahead.

SUNDAY January 8
New Year Resolution comment - Part 2Your Week AheadHow's your New Year resolution coming along? If you have already slipped back, don't feel discouraged. The year 2006 is still young and, as I explained last week, it is rare for a New Year to begin on a New Moon. This bodes well for the ability to keep promises, even if, so far, they have been difficult to uphold. Usually too, soon after the New Year, some powerful planetary alignment stirs up tension and trouble. We find ourselves distracted from our higher goals by the need to tackle a crisis or deal with a drama. I'm not promising that this week will be problem free for everyone... but the sky is comparatively quiet. If you're really keen to keep working on your grand objective and if, when you stumble, you can manage to forgive yourself and try again, you may yet make extremely pleasing progress.